Letters From the Sky
by Blue421
Summary: A series of drabbles/ficlets/one shots based on different single word prompts. There will be thirty words and thirty stories by the end. Characters include: Adam Torres, Clare Edwards, Eli Goldsworthy, Jake Martin, Katie Matlin, and Maya Matlin. Rated T because I'm not sure where the later stories might end up.
1. Chapter 1

**Beginning**

He knew who she was. Of course he did. She was Katie Matlin's younger sister. Drew's ex-girlfriend's younger sister. Hell, the younger sister of the girl Adam himself had once had a crush on. Adam knows he probably shouldn't go there but he can't help it.

Adam caught the flu and was out of school for three days so unfortunately; he missed the first three days of his new band's rehearsal. Eli dropped by after school the first day Adam missed with a message from Imogen saying that Mo asked her to tell Eli to get the news to Adam. He also let Adam know that he was missing the first day of practice. Now here he was, three days later, standing in the doorway to the band room just staring at the only person in the room. It was her. Maya Matlin. The girl that Adam knew he shouldn't have a crush on, but did. As he stepped into the room, clearing his throat as he did, she looked up from rosining her bow to see who it was.

"Adam!" She grinned at him. "You're back! Are you feeling better?"

"Much," he grinned back. "Did I miss a lot?" He slid his backpack off his shoulders and slipped into the seat beside her. She placed her bow across her lap and turned slightly to face him.

"A ton, sorry to say," she grimaced. "We already learned an entire song and we sound pretty good. But adding the bass," she reached out to poke his shoulder. "Will make us sound killer," she giggled.

"I'm sure we already do. We have a pretty wicked cellist after all," he winked and was surprised when Maya's cheeks blushed.

"You think so?" Maya asked.

"Absolutely! I wish I could play the bass even half as well as you play the cello," he poked her knee.

"Adam Torres, are you flirting with me?" she asked, a smile tugging at her lips.

"Would you be opposed to it?" Adam replied confidently.

Maya hesitated, pulling her bottom lip in between her teeth. Then she quickly she shook her head. "No, not at all actually."

"Good," he replied. "Because I definitely was."

* * *

**Accusation**

"Where is it?" he demanded.

She paused, arm reaching into her locker to retrieve her math book. She dropped her arm to her side and turned to face him. "Hello to you too, Jake. I haven't seen you all day," she replied.

"I know you have it. My blue plaid shirt."

Katie laughed and turned back to her locker. She pulled her book out and stuffed it into the bag that hung off her shoulder. "I would never steal one of your shirts."

"Katie, that's such a lie. You're wearing one of them right now."

Katie looked down at her shirt and realized that Jake was right. "Okay, but I swear I didn't take the blue one."

"I know the blue one's your favorite. I've already had to steal it back from you twice. I wanted to wear it this morning and it wasn't in my closet."

Katie hitched her bag up onto her shoulder, shut her locker, and then leaned against it to look up at her boyfriend. "Maybe your dad borrowed it."

Jake leaned against the lockers. "No, my dad never borrows my shirts. You were over last night. Did you take it when I left the room? You've done that before."

Katie placed a hand on his chest and leaned in. "Jake Martin. You're accusing me of something I didn't do. Yeah, that shirt's my favorite but I know that it's your favorite too. I was going to take it but didn't. Go home, check your closet again, and stop giving me that look. I'm late for math and then I have a newspaper meeting after school. Call me later?" Katie stretched up on her toes and pressed a quick kiss to his lips before turning and heading down the hallway.

"I know you took it!" he yelled after her.

When he got home, he headed straight up to his room to look through his closet. He was going to prove Katie wrong. As he stepped through the doorway, he dropped his backpack on the floor, and quickly crossed the room to his bed. He gathered the material up into his hands and stared at it.

"Hey, Jake we're- you okay?" Glen took in Jake's confused expression and then glanced at the shirt in his hands. "That's yours right?"

"Yeah, did you find it?" Glen nodded. "Where was it? I looked all over for it this morning."

"You must have left it in the washer or dryer. Helen though it was mine and hung it up in my closet."

"I accused Katie of stealing it."

Glen laughed. "Better apologize. By the way, Helen and I are going out for dinner. You and Clare okay to get dinner on your own?"

"She's at Eli's. I'll be fine."

As Glen headed out of the room and back down the stairs, Jake put the shirt back on his bed and pulled out his phone.

_You've reached Katie. Leave a message after the beep._

"So, I found the shirt…" Jake began.

* * *

**Restless**

When she got home, no one was awake. She went straight to her room, dumped her belongings onto the floor, and sat down on her bed. She sat for some time before standing up and heading for the bathroom down the hall. She shut the door quietly behind her and then turned to face herself in the mirror. She stared at her reflection and tried to recognize the girl staring back. She had wild eyes, flushed cheeks, and windblown, wild hair. Slowly, she reached up to smooth down her hair. Her eyes dropped to her lips. The lips that _he_ had just kissed. Her hands moved to the hem of her shirt and she ripped it up and over her head. She spun around, turned on the shower, and watched as the water swirled around the tub. She slid her jeans off and got into the shower still wearing her undergarments. She stood under the too hot water and watched as the water raced down her arms. She lifted her arms and watched the water web out across her hands and fingers. She stood like that and thought. Thought about _him_ and what had happened. It was her fault. She knew it was. All of the texts she sent, the calls she made. She was always there and she had obviously led him on. She felt disgusting. Gross.

She picked up the bottle of soap and began to wash her skin. Desperate to feel clean. As the water rinsed the soap from her skin, she repeated the action two more times. She scrubbed until her skin was red, angry, and raw. But she still felt dirty. Still felt his hands on her, felt his hot breath fanning out across her face. She still felt his lips pressed against hers. So she gave up. She sat down, pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapped her arms around her legs, and cried until the hot water ran out. When it did, she reached out, shut off the water, and then buried her face into her knees. She didn't get out of the tub until she began to shiver. Standing slowly, she pulled back the shower curtain and was relieved to see that the mirror was fogged up. She didn't think she could bear to look at herself again. She quickly peeled off her bra and underwear and dropped them to the bottom of the tub. Stepping out, she wrapped a towel around herself and exited the bathroom. She walked quietly down the hallway, pushing open her half closed door and entered her room.

Instead of getting dressed right away, she wrapped the towel tightly around her body and sat at the foot of her bed. She stared out through her open bedroom door and into the hallway, part of her hoping and praying that her mother would check to see if she was okay. But after sitting for five minutes, her mother didn't come. She listened to the night around her, the creak of the house, the showerhead dripping in the bathroom. Once she was positive no one was going to check on her, she pushed off the bed, crossed the room, and eased her bedroom door shut. She put on her pajamas and pulled the covers back on her bed. She slid between the sheets and curled up in a ball on her side. She tried closing her eyes, tried to sleep, but she couldn't. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw his face. She knew she wasn't going to be able to sleep, she was too restless. So she threw back her covers, grabbed the quilt from the end of her bed, and made her way across the room and to her window. She raised it quietly and slipped through to sit, wrapped in the quilt, on the roof just below her window. Clare Edwards knew she wasn't going to be able to sleep. So she sat, alone and thinking, until the sun came up.

* * *

**Snowflake**

The two moved their bodies in time to the thumping bass filled music that was too loud for the crowded basement. His hands were on her hips, pulling her flush against him while hers clutched at his shoulders. She had never danced with a guy like this, all hips and roaming (but respectful) hands, but she found that she was really enjoying herself.

Clare reached her hands up to run through her boyfriend's hair and laughed when he closed his eyes. Eli's grip on her waist tightened, and he pulled her even closer and began moving faster.

"Let's go outside," she yelled right near his ear, struggling to be heard over the booming music. She felt overwhelmed and needed a minute and a lot of fresh air. Clare grabbed one of the hands that was on her waist, the one that was slowly inching its way down her backside, and pulled him through the crowd of people packed into the Torres' basement. She slid the door open and took a deep breath as she stepped out onto the patio.

After she shut the door behind them, Eli led the way to the bench that was right outside the door and pulled her down onto his lap. She wound her arms around his neck and smiled down at him.

"Sorry, I needed some air. That was fun though. We'll have to do some more of that later."

"You don't have to ask me twice," he brushed one of her curls off her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. "I was having fun too."

They sat in silence for a while, catching their breath and just enjoying each other's company. When the music inside the house cut off suddenly, Clare jumped and turned her head to look through the door.

"Everyone shut up!" Adam yelled. "It's almost time! Someone find the remote so we can turn on the TV."

"Do you want to go back inside?" Eli asked. "Ring in the new year with our friends?"

Clare looked back at him as her friends and classmates began the countdown.

_"Ten, nine, eight"_

Clare cupped Eli's cheek and leaned in to brush her nose against his.

_"Seven, six, five"_

"No, I want to stay right here and ring it in with my boyfriend."

_"Four, three, two"_

"I like the sound of that," Eli reached up, wrapped a hand around the back of her neck, and pulled her down to meet his lips.

_"ONE! Happy New Year!"_

"Happy new year," Clare whispered against his lips.

"Happy new year. I love you."

"I love you too," she leaned her forehead against his and shivered involuntarily.

Eli wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against his chest. "Let's go back inside. Dance some more? That should warm us up."

Clare stood up and extended her hand. Eli grabbed it and allowed Clare to pull him to his feet.

"Look!" Clare dropped his hand, took a step out from under the overhang that they had been sitting under, and looked up at the night sky. "It's snowing!"

She smiled when she felt arms wrap around his middle and a chin rest on her shoulder. She placed her hands on top of his and sighed.

Inside, someone had turned on a slow song. Eli removed his arms from around her waist and stepped in front of her. "May I have this dance?" he asked as he offered her his elbow.

"You may," she slipped her arm into his and he led her out into the backyard. He placed one hand on the small of her back and entwined the other in hers.

They held each other closely and swayed to the music, surrounded by twinkly lights and falling snow.


	2. Chapter 2

**Haze**

Clare pulls the quilt tighter around her body and leans back against the house. It's cold. She considers getting up to make a cup of tea or hot chocolate but she can't make her legs work. She's not sure if they're numb from the cold or numb from how long she's been sitting with them folded up underneath her. Clare has been sitting on the roof under her window for hours, staring off into space and letting her mind wander. She can't stop thinking and overthinking about what had happened hours before.

Her eyelids begin to droop and she finally begins the difficult task of unfolding her pins and needles legs because she doesn't want to nod off while sitting on the roof. Once she gets to her feet, she slips back inside the house, but leaves the quilt behind. She stops at the purse she had dumped on the floor and digs through it in an attempt to find her phone. Pressing the home button, she sees that it's already four in the morning and she also sees that she has three texts from Eli. Her thumb hovers over the select button, not sure if she wants to read them just yet.

Pocketing her phone, she decides to wait until after she's made something to warm her up. Stepping out into the hallways, this thinks briefly about going down to her mother's bedroom. Deciding against that as well, she turns and heads down the stairs. She makes her way to the kitchen, pulls a mug down from the cabinet, fills it with water, and puts it in the microwave to heat. While it's heating, Clare rummages through the canister on the counter and pulls out her favorite tea. The microwave beeps just as Clare places the unwrapped tea bag on the counter. She removes the mug and sets it next to the tea bag. Clare retrieves the sugar and a spoon and makes the tea just how she likes it. When it's ready, she cleans up her mess, wraps her hands around the warm mug, and heads back up to her room. Shutting the door behind her, she moves to her window and sets her mug carefully down on the sill. She picks up the book that's sitting on her nightstand and also the small lamp that sits there. Clare leans out the window and balances the book on top of the quilt below the window. Then she sets about figuring out how to get the lamp to cast enough light through the window and onto the space she had been sitting. Once everything is set up, she steps back out through the window, moves her book, and wraps herself up in her quilt again.

She sits back down, leans against the house, and pulls out her phone. She pulls up the first text from Eli and reads through it. He had told her that he cleaned up the living room, put everything in her room, and locked the front door behind him when he left. She scrolled to the next one.

_How did everything go? I bet Asher was amazing about everything. He usually is…or so you tell me. Let me know when you're home._

The last text was sent at ten o'clock.

_ Didn't hear from you. Maybe you went straight to bed or your phone died. Hope everything's okay. Can't wait to see you and the article tomorrow! So proud of you! Love you. Sleep well._

Clare backs out of the messages and closes her eyes. She takes a few deep breaths and then opens her eyes and places her phone on the windowsill next to her mug. She picks up the mug of tea, blows across the surface, and takes a careful sip. Seeing that it's no longer scalding, she swallows a few gulps before setting it down on the sill and picking up her book.

While she sips her tea, she gets lost in the text. She lets the story pull her to a world that isn't as confusing or frightening as the one playing out around her. The next time she looks up, the sun is starting to peek up over the house across the street. Clare also notices that a hazy fog has settled low across the front lawn. The gloomy atmosphere perfectly matches her mood and Clare can't help but cringe at how horribly cliché it is. She closes her book and sets it on the sill next to her empty mug. She checks the time and sees that it's almost seven. Clare extracts herself from the quilt and leans in through the window to set everything on the floor. Her mom and Glen will be waking up soon and she really doesn't want them to catch her sitting on the roof. She puts everything back in its place and Clare turns to shut and lock her window. She picks up her mug and heads downstairs. After putting the mug in the dishwasher, Clare stands at the counter and thinks.

The sound of knocking pulls her from her thoughts and she looks up to see Eli entering her front door carrying a very large stack of newspapers.

* * *

**Flame**

Adam throws another log onto the fire, pokes at it to stoke the flame, and sits back down next to Maya. She holds out a roasting fork with two marshmallows stuck to the end.

"Thanks," he grins before placing the marshmallows directly over the flame.

"Dude, you're going to burn them," Eli says, as he shakes his own roasting fork.

"They're best that way," Adam shrugs. He pulls the fork back to reveal two flaming marshmallows. Adam allows them to burn for a few more seconds before blowing them out and placing them on the graham crackers and chocolate that Clare had assembled for everyone.

"Perfect," Adam admires his work before taking a bite.

"You have some chocolate," Maya begins before leaning in to kiss him. "On your lips," she blushes as she pulls away, glancing quickly at Eli and Clare who are both grinning back at the pair.

Maya finishes making her s'more and takes a bite. She's surprised when Adam leans in and copies her previous action.

"No chocolate. I just wanted to kiss you."

* * *

**Formal**

Eli steps up to the door, knocks twice, and waits. It takes a bit, but he finally hears the inner door open and then the door in front of him opens a few seconds later.

"Hey, man. They're not ready yet," Jake turns and heads back inside the house. Eli shuts the door behind him and follows Jake inside.

He sees that Jake has thrown himself down on the couch, feet up on the coffee table in front of him, and he's flipping through channels on the TV.

"I figured they weren't. Girls always take forever to get ready for these things," Eli places the corsage box he's holding down on the counter and joins Jake on the couch.

The two sit on the couch in their suits and watch some movie that contains too many fake explosions and a lot of cheesy dialogue. Jake shuts the TV off when he hears Katie yell from the top of the stairs that they're ready. Both boys get to their feet and Jake moves to stand at the bottom of the stairs. He looks up and a grin spreads across his face. Katie descends the stairs, careful not to trip over her long, green dress. When she gets to the bottom, Jake pulls her into his arms and kisses her.

"You look beautiful," he tells her as he holds her at arm's length so he can take her in.

"You don't look too bad yourself," Katie tugs on his tie and pulls him in for another kiss.

"Stop sucking face and move. It's my turn," Clare chastises from the top of the stairs.

Katie laughs, grabs Jake's hand, and pulls him into the living room.

Eli stands in the spot that the two had just vacated and looks up to where Clare should be standing.

"I'm ready," Eli calls up.

Clare steps out from behind the hallway wall into sight and smiles down at Eli. She's wearing a strapless, deep purple floor length dress and her hair is pulled up into an elaborate style. She gathers up the bottom of her dress and makes her way down the stairs. When she reaches the bottom, Eli grabs her hand and spins her.

"Wow," he breathes. "You look incredible."

"Thank you," she leans in and kisses him. "I can't believe I got you to wear a purple tie."

"Only for you, Edwards," he slips an arm around her waist and leads her to the counter where he had deposited her corsage. Eli opens the plastic container and slips the purple flowers onto her wrist.

"Thank you, Eli. It's beautiful. I have something for you too," she says as she makes her way to the refrigerator and pulls out a similar plastic container.

"I figured you'd never forgive me if I made you wear a purple tie and a purple boutonnière, so I asked if there was any way they could make it black," she pulls a black flower from the container and Eli can't help but laugh.

"You're amazing," Eli does his best to help Clare pin the flower to his lapel and tries hard not to wince when she accidentally sticks him.

"Sorry," Clare exclaims. "I've never pinned one of these on anyone before."

After fiddling with the pin and flower for a few more minutes, Clare manages to successfully pin the flower to his suit. When the back door opens, all four turn to look as Helen hurries in.

"I'm so sorry, Clare. I lost track of time."

"It's fine, Mom," Clare waves her off. "You're here now," she turns to her friends. "Ready for some pictures?"

Eli and Jake both groan and Clare hands the camera to her mom. The two couples pose for entirely too many pictures and Helen would have kept snapping away if Clare had not told her that they were going to be late if they didn't stop and leave now.

Clare and Katie gather up their things before turning to their boyfriends. Jake slides an arm around Katie's shoulders and leads her out of the house.

Eli offers his elbow to Clare and says, "Ready for Prom?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Just a quick note, these stories are not in any sort of chronological order. There are events and stories that could go together, but they most likely won't be in the order that they actually happened. For example, even though it hasn't been written yet, I know that the first story in chapter four actually happens _before_ the final story in this chapter. It probably would have been best if I had put them in some sort of time order, but I wanted to write the story prompts in the same order as they appeared on the drabble a day list. So, I'm really sorry if this is a confusing mess.  
**

**Also, thank you so much for taking the time to read these silly little stories. I'm having a lot of fun with this! :)  
**

* * *

**Companion**

"Let's get that one," Clare pointed at one of the cups towards the outside of the cluster. "The blue and purple one."

Eli looked at the Beta fish Clare selected. "He looks like he wants to kill the one next to him."

"I know," Clare replied. "It's why I picked him."

Eli raised his eyebrow and Clare continued. "He's a fighter," Clare shrugged. "I like that."

"I like that too," Eli picked up the cup that contained their new fish and headed towards the front register. Eli waved off Clare's money and paid for the fish.

On the way back to the car, Eli asked, "So, what should we name him?"

* * *

**Move**

"That's the last of it," Eli said as he set the cardboard box he was carrying down on the coffee table. He looked around at the other boxes that were scattered throughout the living room. "You have too much stuff, Edwards."

"I do not," Clare exclaimed, spinning around from the box she was unpacking in order to glare at her boyfriend. "You just live like a perpetual bachelor. Bare minimum everything," she said, placing her hands on her hips.

"You're right, but it works for me. At least it did," Eli walked over to where Clare was standing and removed her hands from her hips, pulled them around his waist, and then placed his hands on the small of her back and pulled her to him.

"Eli," Clare's words were muffled against his shoulder. "You didn't even have a couch," she said while pulling back to look at him.

"Hey, I have a perfectly good arm chair!"

"Three people can't sit in an arm chair!"

"No, but two people can," Eli grabbed Clare's hands and led her across the room. He sank down into the worn leather chair and pulled Clare down to sit on his lap. Clare leaned back against him and smiled when Eli placed a kiss on the side of her neck. "I'm glad you agreed to move in."

"Admit it, you're just excited to finally have a couch," Clare teased.

"You know, you're right," Eli's eyebrows raised. "Making out in this chair is so complicated. Just think about all the space we'll have on the couch."

* * *

**Silver**

"I love you," Eli murmured around Clare's lips. Eli felt Clare's hands reach up to push on his chest so he pulled back to look down at her.

"I love you, too," Clare replied with a grin before pulling Eli back down for a kiss.

Eli obliged, placing quick kisses on her lips before trailing them to the corner of her mouth, across her jaw, below her ear, and down her neck. His mouth stopped to suck gently on her pulse point and he felt like he was going to crawl out of his skin when the action caused Clare to tilt her head, clutch at his back, and let out the most amazing little moan.

"Off," she breathed as her fingers found the hem of his shirt. Eli pushed himself up to kneel between her legs and Clare followed, sitting up so she could drag Eli's shirt up and over his head. She tossed the shirt to the floor, pulled her own off to throw next to Eli's, and then wrapped her arms around Eli's neck just as he captured her face between his hands. He leaned in to give her a kiss, slipping his tongue between her parted lips.

Clare fell back, pulling Eli down on top of her. Eli pressed himself against her before catching himself and trying to put a little bit of distance between their bodies, but Clare hitched her leg over his hip and brought hers up to meet his. When he pulled back to let out a groan, Clare pressed her mouth against his throat.

"I want this," Clare said between kisses. She ran her hand down his chest, lower and lower, to cup him through his jeans. His head dropped to the space between her neck and shoulder and he let out a shuddering breath. "All of it," she continued.

Eli pushed himself up so that he was hovering over her. "Are you sure?"

"Eli," Clare placed her hand on his cheek. "You've been so patient with me, but sometimes it drives me crazy that you hold back so much. We've done all of this," Clare grabbed one of Eli's hands and placed it on her breast and then slid her hand down to touch him again. "Before. I'm ready," Clare replied.

To prove it to him, Clare slipped the silver ring off of the third finger on her left hand and held it out to Eli. He took the ring from between her fingers, looked at it, and slid it onto his pinky finger.

"We'll go slowly," Eli promised.


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't even know if anyone is reading these, but if you are, sorry it took me forever to update. The past month has been kind of crazy. If there _are_ people reading these, THANK YOU! It really does mean a lot to me.  
**

**Surprise Fimogen in this update.  
**

**Enjoy?  
**

* * *

**Prepared**

She stood in the middle of the aisle and stared at the shelves in front of her. She glanced around her and shifted her weight from foot to foot before reaching out and selecting a box from the shelf. She turned it around to read the back.

"Oh, god," she murmured before quickly putting the box back on the shelf and turning to hurry out of the aisle. As she turned the corner, she collided with someone. She automatically stuck her hands out to steady the body she ran into. "I'm so sorry," she started to say. "Katie?"

"Clare, what are you doing in the," Katie glanced up to look at the aisle marker. "Family planning aisle?"

Clare blushed and rubbed at the back of her neck. "What do you think I'm doing?"

"Well, I know why I was headed there," Katie teased, laughing when she caught the grimace that flashed across Clare's face. "But I didn't know that you and Eli had taken that step yet."

"No," Clare shook her head. "We haven't. But his parents aren't going to be home this weekend and I want to be prepared in case."

"You're sure you're ready?"

Clare nodded. "Absolutely. I've known for a few weeks but we haven't actually had the chance to act on it."

"I see," Katie crossed her arms against her chest. "So, did you find what you needed?"

Clare blushed again and shook her head. "There were so many different options. I've never bought them before so I wasn't sure what kind to get. I don't really have anyone I can ask about this, but I was hoping Alli would come back with me or something."

Katie grabbed Clare's hand and dragged her back into the aisle. "I'll help you."

They stopped in front of the shelves again and Katie selected a box. "Jake and I use these," Katie pushed the box into Clare's hands.

"No," Clare said definitively. "Absolutely not. I am not using the same kind of condoms that my step-brother and his girlfriend use. Too weird. Sorry," Clare quickly put the box back on the shelf and selected the one to the right. "How about these?"

Katie took the box from Clare and read over the front and the back. "I've never used them before, but they seem like they'd be good. That's a trusted brand so you should be fine. You can always buy something else later if you don't like them," Katie shrugged. "Anyway, I have to run," Katie began walking backwards away from Clare. "If you have any more questions you can call me," she stopped, a grin settling on her face as a thought clearly crossed her mind. She approached the shelf again. "I almost forgot," she mused before reaching out and grabbing a box of condoms. "Have fun," she replied while shaking the box. "I know I will," she laughed and turned to leave the aisle as Clare, cheeks flaming, watched her go.

"More information than I ever needed to know," Clare muttered while placing the box she was holding into her shopping basket and headed for the register to pay.

* * *

**Knowledge**

"So," Jake began after dropping into the chair next to Katie in the media room. "The rooftop garden was a complete bust," he paused to glare at the smirk Katie threw his way. "But Simpson still really likes the idea. He's willing to let us try again."

"He is?" Katie asked excitedly, swiveled her chair to face Jake and accidentally knocked their knees together. Katie reached out to pat the knee she bumped and continued speaking. "Where? When can we start?"

Jake glanced down at the spot Katie had touched and looked back up to see the grin that was plastered across her face. He grinned back. "There's an unused courtyard out back. It's small and not a lot of students know about it, but we could fix it up really nicely. Simpson said we could start after school if we wanted to."

"And we could still use the same plans but execute them on the ground, right? The planter's boxes and raised platforms?"

Jake nodded. "And the different seating areas too. We can also plant trees and bushes now because we won't be confined to planters and pots," Jake rubbed at the back of his neck. "Are you still willing to help me? I don't think I can do this without your green thumb."

"Don't forget about my planning and organization skills," Katie patted his knee again before turning back to her computer. She clicked out of what she was working on and stood to gather her things. "Sharing my knowledge would be an honor. I'd love to help," she held out her hand. "Walk me to class so we can discuss?"

* * *

**Denial**

"I swear, if you do not stop looking at me like that, I'm going to punch you."

"Imogen…"

"No," Imogen raised her hand to stop the words she didn't want to hear. "Fiones, I'm fine. I promise," she let her hand drop and continued trying to tidy up the already spotless apartment that she and Fiona shared.

"Imogen," Fiona started again. Imogen dropped the magazine she was holding and turned to glare at Fiona, wordlessly begging her to stop. But Fiona didn't. Couldn't. "Imogen, you are not fine," she got up from the couch and crossed the room to grab her girlfriend's hands. "You're putting on this face and acting like you're not hurting but I know you. I know you are. It's okay, Imogen," Fiona squeezed her hands. "You can cry. We can sit on the couch and talk about it or you can go to our room and I'll leave you alone, but I can't watch you do this anymore."

Imogen shook her head. "Don't you get it, Fiona?" Imogen yelled as she ripped her hands from Fiona's grasp and began pacing the room. "I can't! I can't think about what happened and I certainly can't cry about it," Imogen ran a hand down her face, her voice tight. "If I cry about it, if I let myself," Imogen paused, opening and closing her mouth, struggling to get the words out. "If I let myself think about what happened then it all becomes real and I'm not ready for it to be real, Fiona!" Imogen sank to the floor, pulled her legs up to her chest, and buried her face in her knees. She sat quietly for a few moments, struggling to catch her breath before she whispered, "Why did he have to die?" She raised her head from her knees to look at her girlfriend who was frozen across the room. "Why did my dad have to die?"

Fiona was across the room as soon as the words were out of her girlfriend's mouth. She dropped to the floor next to Imogen and pulled her into her arms. Imogen immediately fisted her hands into the front of Fiona's shirt, pulled her closer, and buried her face in the crook of Fiona's neck. As Fiona rubbed her hands along her back, Imogen finally allowed herself to mourn.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you to those of you who are still interested in this. It means a lot to me.  
**

* * *

**Wind**

"How did I let you talk me into this?" Adam looked down at his feet where Maya was sitting in the grass, wrestling with the knotty string.

"Because I begged you," Maya grinned up at him. "And I wouldn't shut up about it. Come on, it's the perfect day to fly a kite, Mr. Grumpy." As if on cue, the wind gusted, causing Maya to drop the string and hastily push her hair out of her face. "See? Now get down here and help me," Maya patted the grass next to her.

Adam huffed and dropped down into the grass beside her. He watched her fingers move over the string, trying to work the knots out before he reached over and pulled the kite from her hands.

"We just bought this thing," Adam grumbled while trying to untangle the string. "How the hell are there already so many knots?"

Maya didn't say anything. She just sat next to her boyfriend and watched as he struggled to unknot the string. She giggled at the look of deep concentration that was plastered across his face. They sat in relative silence; one that was disrupted every so often by Maya's giggle and a string of curse words from Adam.

"Got it!" He yelled after finally freeing the string.

"Best boyfriend ever!" She leaned in and rewarded him with a kiss on the lips before she quickly stood up and offered her hand. She pulled Adam to his feet, grabbed the handle and string from his hands, and grinned at him. "Now run!"

* * *

**Order**

The knock on her closed bedroom door startled her from where she was deeply focused on the notes in front of her. She pushed herself back from her desk and walked to open the door.

"Eli," she was glad to see him. She pulled the door open all the way and motioned for him to come in. She turned her chair out so it faced her room and sat back down. However, she couldn't help staring longingly at her bed. A cat nap sounded wonderful, but she knew there was no way she would get up and continue studying if she did lay down. Especially if Eli were to join her for said cat nap.

Eli followed the movement of her eyes and glanced at her bed briefly before huffing out a laugh. He crossed the room to take her hand and press the cup he was holding into it.

"You brought me coffee?" Clare looked down at the cup before bringing it up to her lips. She practically moaned after taking a sip. "This is perfect."

"Your order may be complicated, but I pay attention," he winked as he dropped down onto her bed.

Once again, Clare was tempted to close her books and give in to the serious nap vibes that her bed was giving off. Eli looked so comfortable. She wanted to be comfortable instead of sitting on a horrible desk chair, cramming for her end of the year tests.

"How's the studying going?"

"Awful. You didn't tell me that grade eleven was going to kick my butt," Clare spun in her chair to pick up the notebook that was sitting on top of a pile of open textbooks. She dropped it onto her lap and started flipping through the pages. "I don't even remember learning half of this stuff!"

"How long have you been studying?"

Clare looked at the clock on her nightstand. "I don't know, maybe two or three hours."

"Have you taken a break at all?"

Clare shook her head. "No time. I need to ace these tests. I told my mom that I would get As guaranteed. I have to deliver on that promise or your ten o'clock privileges might get taken away again."

"Clare, you need to take a break. Come here," he sat up to place his coffee on the nightstand and then patted the space next to him on her bed.

Clare looked at him hesitantly, biting her lip as she glanced back down at her notes.

"Your notes will still be there after you take a nap. Come on," he patted her bed again. "I'll even set an alarm on my phone. A half an hour, tops."

"But what about my coffee?" She teased, holding up the cup.

"You have a microwave for a reason," he rolled his eyes. "Now get your butt over here."

Clare grinned at him before setting her coffee cup and notebook down on her desk. She jumped onto the bed and cuddled up against Eli's side, resting her head on his chest.

"Just a half an hour," Clare tilted her head up to look at him. "Promise?"

Eli pulled his phone out of his pocket and set an alarm.

"All set. Now close your eyes."

* * *

**Thanks**

Clare and Eli sat on the fire escape below Fiona's bedroom window in silence. Her hand remained on the bag of ice that was still placed on Eli's swollen knuckles. She was pressed up against his side and her head was rested on his shoulder.

"Thanks," she whispered after some time. "You know I don't condone violence, but thank you."

Eli reached over and grabbed her chin, tilting her face up. He pressed his lips to hers softly. "Dallas is an asshole," he growled, stroking his thumb along her jawbone. "He deserved it."

Clare shrugged and gently pulled out of Eli's embrace. She removed the bag of ice from his hand. "It's all melted," she shook the bag for emphasis, the water sloshing about. "Want to go back inside? I feel bad about leaving such a mess in there," Clare nodded toward the open window.

Eli stood and gestured towards the window. "After you."

The two re-entered the loft and made their way to the living room. The spilled food and drinks had been cleaned up, but the room was still covered in a healthy dose of confetti, courtesy of that damn cannon. Clare made her way to the sink to dump the water out of the bag while Eli made his way over to Jake and Katie. Once Clare was finished, she joined the three. She tucked herself against Eli's side and relaxed as soon as his arm came up and around her waist.

Clare looked from Katie to Jake. "I owe you guys. Thank you for everything."

* * *

**Look**

"You two stare at each other a lot."

"Huh?" Eli looked up from his homework and fixed Adam with a confused look.

"You and her," Adam nodded towards Clare, who was also looking at Adam like he was crazy. "You're always staring at each other. I can't decide if it's romantic or totally creepy."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Eli asked, dropping his pen and looking over at Clare. "We do not."

"Yes, you do," Adam practically shouted. "It's so intense and weird. It's like you're trying to convince the other by sheer force of will how much you love each other."

"Come on, Adam," Clare rolled her eyes. "You're exaggerating. We're not that bad. Wait, what are you doing?" Clare questioned Adam who was pulling out his phone and dialing a number.

"Proving a point," Adam replied as he brought the phone up to his ear. The phone rang three times before she picked up. "Maya," he said, pulling the phone away from his ear so he could put it on speaker phone. "Question for you," he started. "Do Clare and Eli creepily stare at each other for what feels like an eternity?" Adam held up his hand to silence the protests that Clare and Eli wanted to throw his way.

Maya laughed. _"God, yes. It's adorable but really uncomfortable at the same time. I feel like I'm interrupting something."_

"See!" Adam yelled. "I told you!" Adam pointed at them but let out a groan. "Maya, they're doing it right now!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Summer**

"Jake, get in the car!" Katie yelled out the open passenger window.

"Hang on," he raised his camera and pointed it at the ridiculous roadside attraction that he had begged the others to let him stop and see. "I need one more picture," he focused the image before him and snapped the picture. He smiled up at the giant frying pan and turned back to the car. Katie was leaning on her arm against the window well and her hair was blowing in the light breeze. She smiled at him and Jake stopped to raise his camera again. She began to laugh as he captured the moment. "Love you!" he yelled as he jogged back to the car, stopping at her window to press his lips to hers.

"Aww, how adorable," Eli rolled his window down and reached out to rough up Jake's hair.

"Eli, leave them alone," Clare grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back inside the car.

Katie pulled Jake in for one more quick kiss. "Now get in the car," she demanded after she leaned away, tucked herself back in the car, and rolled up her window.

Jake jogged around the front of the car, unable to stop the urge to slide along the hood as he passed, and climbed back into the driver's seat.

"Okay," he placed his camera carefully on the floor by Katie's feet and did up his seat belt. "Best road trip ever," he grinned at Katie before he turned to look at Clare and Eli in the back seat.

"Are you serious?" Eli asked incredulously. "So far we've stopped to see a million stupid roadside attractions, taken the most ridiculous touristy pictures, and even stopped at the SPAM Museum. SPAM, Jake."

"Yeah, and it was awesome!" Jake flailed his arms out and pointed at the SPAM air freshener that, despite everyone's protests, now hung from the rearview mirror.

Eli sighed and shook his head.

"Jake," Clare scooted forward so Jake could see her. "If we don't start driving, we're never going to see everything on our list and make it back before Uni starts. No more roadside things and no more museums about food. I want to actually see The Grand Canyon and Old Faithful like we planned."

"Mount Rushmore too!" Katie threw in.

"Fine, fine," Jake put his hands up in surrender and turned back to face forward. He started the car and pulled back onto the road. They drove in silence for a while before Jake cleared his throat and said, "There's a museum of Questionable Medical Devices in Minnesota that we could hit on the way home."

"Jake!"

* * *

**Transformation**

"You have too many books, Edwards," Eli complained while pulling more off the shelf to tuck away in the cardboard box that was already three fourths of the way full.

"You can never have too many books," Clare replied, a little bit horrified at the thought.

"I've already filled two boxes, almost three, and I still have two shelves to go!"

"There's no such thing as too many books," Clare folded and placed a sweater in the suitcase that sat on her bed and approached Eli. "Wow," Clare peered into the box and nudged it with her foot. "I do have a lot of books. Huh," Clare agreed and leaned in to press a kiss against Eli's cheek. "I'll get you another box. Be right back."

Clare left the room and Eli turned back to the bookcase. He began to pull the remaining books off the shelf and discovered that one was a photo album. Eli dumped the books into the box at his feet and sat on the edge of Clare's desk, flipping through the album.

"Oh my god," Eli's mouth dropped open as he brought the album closer to his face.

"Oh my god," Clare echoed from her doorway. She dropped the box and rushed to the desk, snatching the album from Eli's hands. "Where did you find this?"

"I didn't snoop or anything, Clare. It was on the shelf with your books. I was packing them, found it, and flipped through it. Did you seriously wear your Catholic school uniform to Degrassi when you were a niner?" Eli teased and reached for the album.

Clare yanked the album back and out of Eli's reach. "It was comfortable, thank you very much."

"At least it was nicer than the ones Degrassi made us wear. So much khaki," Eli shuddered and made another attempt for the album. Clare pulled it back even further. "Come on, Clare. I won't laugh or anything. Let me see. Please?"

Clare narrowed her eyes and stared at Eli who eventually stuck his bottom lip out in a pout. "You're so ridiculous," Clare rolled her eyes and handed the album back to Eli. She sat on the desk next to Eli, leaned against him, and rested her chin on his shoulder so she could see as he flipped through the pictures of her from grade nine.

"Hey, you're not wearing your uniform in this one."

"Yeah, that's when Alli decided that I needed a makeover. I stopped wearing my uniform to school after that."

"I have to say, I like you better in these clothes," Eli gestured to the picture and then to what she was wearing in present day. "But I wish I could have seen you in this," Eli confessed, flipping back to one of the pictures where Clare was wearing her uniform.

"You got to see me in the skirt."

"I did?"

Clare nodded. "Remember the day I showed up out of uniform?"

Eli cringed.

"I'll take that as a yes. Anyway, that was the same skirt."

"Well, that look was definitely different than this one. Can't say I enjoyed it too much."

"You and me both," Clare laughed.

"I'm surprised," Eli shut the album, placed it in the box, and put his arm around Clare's shoulders. "That you didn't get attached to your Degrassi uniform."

Clare shook her head and groaned. "Too much khaki."

* * *

**Tremble**

The elevator ride to the top floor of the office building usually didn't feel like it took all that long. She was always eager to step off the elevator, head to his office to find out her task for the day, and then get to work at her desk.

But this trip to the top floor felt like it was taking an eternity. Before the elevator doors slid shut, she turned to look at Katie, who then slipped her hand into Clare's. Clare grabbed Katie's hand and squeezed in a way that she knew probably hurt, but she needed to know that she wasn't alone. Her mind was going a mile a minute. Her heart was racing. Her knees felt weak. She gripped the USB drive in her right hand and felt her lower lip tremble as she thought about what the device contained, as she thought about what she was about to do. Eli didn't approve and Clare had a feeling that even though she was standing next to her right now and holding her hand, that Katie didn't approve of her plan either.

Frankly, Clare didn't blame them. She wasn't the biggest fan of the plan that she came up with, but at this point she didn't feel like she had a choice. She knew that without this evidence, it was her word against his and she knew that her word didn't mean a damn thing in comparison. So she was going to grit her teeth and go through with it. She was going to plant the pictures of herself on Asher's computer, report it to the police, and hopefully see him receive the punishment that he deserved.

The bell chimed to signal their arrival at the top floor and the sound pulled Clare from her thoughts. She snapped her head up and felt Katie's gaze on her. As she turned her head to look at Katie, the elevator doors opened to reveal what looked like a deserted lobby.

"Ready?" Katie whispered.

* * *

**Sunset**

They walked along the water's edge, their clasped hands swinging slightly between their bodies. Occasionally, he leaned in to press a kiss to the top of her head and couldn't help the grin that played across his lips when she looked up at him from under her lashes. God, she was beautiful. She smiled and pulled her hand free from his grasp so she could slip both arms around his waist and snuggle into side. He returned the smile, placed his arm around her shoulders, and rested his cheek against the top of her head.

They walked further down the beach, completely wrapped up in one another before he stopped, lowered himself down to the sand, and then tugged on her hand so she could sit in the vee of his legs. With her back against his chest and their hands entwined and resting on his knees, they watched as the sun started to dip lower and lower in the sky. When the sun finally reached the line that separated water and sky, he leaned in and whispered,

"I love you, Katie."

And when she tipped her head back and whispered, "I love you too, Jake," he felt like he was soaring.


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the delay. Real life has been kicking my butt and I haven't been motivated to write at all. I don't think this is my best batch, but I wanted to get something out there since it's been so long. To those of you who have stuck around and are reading this update, thank you SO much! It means the world to me.**

* * *

**Mad**

"Want to see a movie this weekend?"

Clare paused, unable to believe the words that just left his mouth. She scoffed and finished shoving a book into her locker.

"Clare?"

Clare shook her head, slammed her locker shut, and shouldered past Eli.

Eli stuck out his hand to catch her elbow, bringing her to a halt. "Clare, hey! What the hell is going on?"

"Seriously, Eli? What's going on? I should be the one asking that question!"

Eli dropped Clare's elbow and nervously hoisted his bag up onto his shoulder. Silence.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Clare bit back, folding her arms across her chest. "You haven't spoken to me in weeks and now you're asking me to go see a movie with you?"

"I told you I needed some time! I needed to be alone to process everything. I found a student's body, Clare. I needed to do this on my own!"

"And I get that, Eli, you know I do. But you don't get to pick me back up when it's convenient for you. You said I was the reason for all of your problems and I bet you have no idea how much that hurt."

"I didn't mean it that way!" Eli cried. "You were pressuring me to talk and I was fine."

"You could have told me that! You never said that you didn't want to talk about it. I can't read your mind, Eli. If you didn't want to talk about it, then you should have said that."

"Okay, you're right and I'm sorry about that."

Clare shook her head. "No. That's not going to cut it this time. I don't blame you for needing time, but you hurt me and I think _I_ need more time by myself. You made me promise that I was all in, and I was just trying to show you that I am. It feels like you're the one who isn't all in this time around, Eli. So no. No movie this weekend. Not until you prove that _you_ are all in."

Clare adjusted her bag and spun on her heel, heading for her next class just as the warning bell rang.

Eli stood in the middle of the hallway and watched her go.

* * *

**Thousand**

"Are you ready?" Marisol popped her head into the booth and asked, following it up with an encouraging smile.

Maya nodded, sending back a smile of her own. Maya rearranged the cards in her lap for the hundredth time and took a deep breath. Slowly, she lifted her head, glanced up, up, up like she had grown accustomed to doing, and then dropped her gaze to the camera in front of her.

Marisol's right index finger hovered over the record button and held up three fingers on her left hand for Maya to see. She lowered her fingers until one was left and then pointed it at Maya, pressing the record button and turning to watch Maya's image appear on the screen. A quick glance out into the hall confirmed that signal was good throughout the rest of the school too. She gave Maya a thumbs up.

"Good morning, Degrassi. I'm Maya Matlin and I have a task for all of you in remembrance of Cam Saunders. I want to put together a list, of at least one thousand things, that you can do when you're sad. I know that this list won't work miracles or cure depression, but I want there to be a list that people can turn to in case they need it. The ideas can be simple, complex, or something that you do when you're feeling down. There will be a box outside the student council office. You can submit as many ideas as you want. Remember, our goal is to get at least one thousand ideas. Outside the office, there will also be a short survey about peer counseling and mediation. It's something the student council has been talking about implementing and we'd love your feedback. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you."

* * *

**Outside**

"Okay, go slowly. Woah, Clare! Slower!" Eli exclaimed.

"Sorry! We haven't done this in a while," she huffed impatiently as she struggled to find her balance.

"It's fine, it's fine. I just don't want an elbow in my eye like the last time. Alright, now try putting your right hand here and your left hand there and then try swinging your leg over here."

Clare did as Eli suggested and was promptly dumped on her back in the grass. Eli pulled the fabric of the hammock down and peered out at his girlfriend, trying and failing to hide his laughter.

"Eli Goldsworthy, this is not funny," Clare pouted. Eli's laughter grew louder and Clare did what she thought seemed fair. She grabbed the bottom of the hammock and flipped it over, sending Eli spilling out onto the grass. "Is it funny now?" Clare teased, leaning up on her elbow to get a good look at her boyfriend.

Eli rolled under the hammock, pushed Clare back into the grass, and wrapped an arm around her waist. "It's hilarious."

* * *

**Winter**

"It's snowing!" Clare exclaimed, eagerly pointing towards the window. Eli lifted his head up off of his girlfriend's lap and twisted so he could see out the window.

"And your point is? It snows all the time, Clare."

"Shut up," she scoffed, and flicked his forehead. "The first snow of the year is always the most exciting. It's so peaceful and magical. I wonder if it will snow through the night."

"Maybe classes will be canceled."

"And then we can light a fire." Clare continued.

"Watch movies."

"Drink hot chocolate."

"Pelt my girlfriend with some snowballs."

"Hey!" Clare smacked his shoulder. "Eli, I thought we were going for romance here!"

"Pelt her in the face so I have to kiss it and make it better?"

"Such a charmer."

"You love me."

"Yeah," Clare smiled and leaned in to press a kiss to his lips. "I really do."

* * *

**Diamond**

Clare was sitting on the couch reading a book when she felt an arm rest on her shoulder and a pair of tickets were moved into her line of sight. Clare read the words on the tickets, flipped her book over in her lap to save her spot, and turned to look behind her. Eli was grinning at her.

"Palahniuk tickets?" Clare questioned with a raise of her eyebrows. Eli walked around the back of the couch and sank into the cushions next to Clare.

"It's our six year anniversary, Clare. I thought it might be fun to try to recreate parts of our first date."

"Our anniversary isn't for another two months."

"Well, I know, but he won't be here in two months. I figured celebrating early would be better than celebrating late. You afraid we won't be together in two months or something?" Eli held up the tickets, waving them slightly.

"Shut up," Clare smacked his shoulder before snatching one of the tickets out of his hand. "Yoink," she grinned.

"You little devil," Eli teased before leaning in to capture her lips. "Be ready by six," he said when he pulled back. "We have dinner reservations at six thirty."

"Clare! Let's go, it's six," Eli scooped his wallet and phone off the dresser and slipped them into his pocket. He checked his other pocket to make sure the author talk tickets were there and then turned to the bathroom door. "Seriously, we have to go!"

"You are so pushy," Clare grumbled after swinging the door open. "Well?"

Eli stared back at her, eyes scanning from head to toe, taking in the beautiful blue dress she was wearing. "Just like our first date," he commented, motioning to the dress. "You wore blue then too."

Clare smiled warmly. "I love that you remember."

"How could I forget? You looked beautiful that night. You look beautiful tonight."

Clare blushed and leaned in to kiss Eli. "Thank you. You look pretty handsome tonight too," Clare grinned mischievously, wrapped her fingers around his tie, and pulled him in for a mind blowing kiss.

"So much better than that contraband kissing we used to do," Eli breathed and offered Clare his elbow. "Now, we have to go."

Clare slipped her arm through Eli's and allowed herself to be lead out of their shared apartment and to the car. They made it to dinner on time, ate a nice meal, and headed for the author talk.

Two hours later, as they walked hand in hand down the sidewalk, Clare couldn't stop rambling about the excerpt that was read from Palahniuk's new book. Eli listened with amusement, tightening his grip on her hand whenever she brought both of their hands up to emphasize a point.

"It's going to be a brilliant book," Clare exclaimed before stopping dead in her tracks. Her eyes lit up and then she was practically dragging Eli across the sidewalk so they could sit on the bench before them.

"It's our bench," Clare said once they were both sitting. "We went through so much on this bench."

"Yeah, we did," Eli agreed. "It's where we first took the time to get to know each other. Where I first knew you were something special. Where I knew I had to get to know you," Eli glanced at the telephone pole behind Clare. They both knew that other things had happened here, memories that were not happy, but both of them chose to no longer dwell on those moments. They were together again and that's what mattered.

"And it's where I completely embarrassed myself in front of my cute new English partner," Clare laughed. "And where I knew I had to get to know him better too," Clare leaned into Eli's side.

The two sat quietly for a while before Clare finally broke the silence. "I had a lot of fun tonight. Thank you for creating such a beautiful night. Dinner was a nice addition. But the post dinner coffee at The Dot, the author talk, clothes, and better-than-contraband-kissing made me feel like I was back in high school," Clare lifted her head so she was looking up at Eli. "The only thing missing is some new jewelry," Clare giggled as she brushed her fingers over Eli's cartilage (which contained a silver hoop and had since the two got back together).

"Actually," Eli shifted, causing Clare to sit up and scoot back from Eli's side. She watched with a confused look on her face as Eli dug into his pocket. "I can help you with that," he finished, pulling the small black box from his pocket and dropping to one knee before her.


	8. Chapter 8

**Well, this is the final chapter of Letters From the Sky. It took me forever to finally accomplish this, but I'm pretty proud of myself for sticking with it. If you've been with me since the beginning, I want to thank you so much. If you're new to the story, I want to thank you as well. Thank you so much for all of your reviews and comments left on Twitter/Tumblr. ****I don't usually let other people read my writing so it means the world to me to know that people enjoy what I've written.**

******Also, I want to say a big, huge THANK YOU to Halle for encouraging me and letting me bounce ideas off of her.**

******So, here it is. Enjoy.**

* * *

**Letters**

Eli enters his dorm building and heads over to the mailbox, just like he does every day after his last class. It's usually empty, save for the occasional buy one get one free coupon for the tanning salon that just opened a few blocks from campus, but those end up straight in the trash. However, on occasion, there's a letter waiting for him. Eli puts his key in the lock of his mailbox, swings open the little door, and finds a letter. He grins as he pulls it out, and sure enough, it's for him. His name and address are written perfectly in the center, there's a cutesy stamp in the upper right, and her name is in the left hand corner. He looks forward to these letters about as much as he looks forward to the care packages from Cece and Bullfrog that are filled with homemade cookies and mixed CDs full of new bands and unreleased demos.

After closing the mailbox door and locking it up, he dumps the stupid coupons in the trash located directly to the right of the bank of mailboxes (already full of other people's unwanted mail) and heads for the elevators. The elevators in the building are slow and take forever. By the time one arrives to take him to the sixth floor, he could have already read through the letter four or five times, but he always waits. He never opens the letter until he's in his room, sitting on his bed with his back pressed against the wall.

The elevator finally climbs to the sixth floor, and when the doors slide open, Eli steps out and heads all the way down the hall to the second to last door on the right. He unlocks the door and steps into his room. His roommate looks up when the door closes, gives a nod, and returns to editing the video that's pulled up on his laptop. Eli nods back even though it goes unnoticed and places his backpack on his desk. He slips his shoes off and climbs into his bed, presses his back up against the wall, and finally opens the envelope.

In this letter Clare tells him about the paper she had to write for English class, the fact that Drew has been shaping up to be a pretty decent president, and about how peer mediation and counseling has finally become a thing at Degrassi. She goes on to tell him about lunch with Cece a few days ago and how they had spent most of the afternoon together. They talked about Clare's final year of high school and then, inevitably, they talked about how much they both miss Eli.

Eli isn't sure why Clare started writing to him. They talk on the phone almost every night, and usually Skype every other, but she continues to write him once a week. He's not complaining about it. He enjoys that she communicates with him every way she possibly can. He, of course, always writes her back. He finds things to tell her that he hasn't already said while they're on the phone or on Skype. They're usually little silly things, but she always responds as if they're the most important facts in the world.

Eli isn't sure what Clare does with the letters that he sends her, but when he finishes reading through the letter three or four times, he gets up off his bed, and goes to his desk. He pulls open the top left drawer and removes a thick stack of envelopes that are rubber banded together. He slips the most recent one on top of the pile, under the band, and places them back in the drawer. Eli grabs a blank sheet of paper and an envelope out of the same drawer, sits down at his desk, and begins his reply.

* * *

**Promise **

The forecast called for rain all day. So when Eli woke up that morning and saw nothing but blue skies, he couldn't help but grin. Clare's stress level had already risen so high that the appearance of the rain three days prior was enough to send her over the edge. He wanted to call her and say, "See, I told you everything would work out," but he knew that wasn't allowed and it would probably make her even more furious. Instead, he threw back the covers, climbed out of bed, and headed into the bathroom to start getting himself ready for the long day ahead.

They chose a beautiful park full of blooming flowers and weeping willows that looked out over a pond. He tried to convince her that a church was okay, but Clare insisted that the venue didn't matter. All she cared about was that he was standing next to her and that their friends and family were there to witness.

Standing under one of the many weeping willows, Eli nervously adjusted his tie for the hundredth time. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with his hands. He glanced out at the crowd of people who had assembled to share in their day and caught Bullfrog's gaze. Bullfrog nodded down towards his hands, which were folded one over the other. Eli got the hint and clasped his hands together in front of him. Cece sent him a thumbs up and a warm smile.

The music began playing and everyone turned to look down the aisle. He grinned when he saw his best man and Clare's maid of honor. Alli had her arm threaded through Adam's and together they walked down the aisle and took their places under the tree with Eli. They were followed by Jake and Darcy and more groomsmen escorting the bridesmaids down the aisle. Then it was finally her turn. Everyone stood and Eli felt his stomach lurch with anticipation.

He looked down at the ground to collect himself and when he raised his head, there she was. Clare was headed towards him wearing the most beautiful white dress. She clutched Randall's arm and scanned the crowd, smiling at her friends and family and then his, before finally meeting Eli's awestruck gaze. She smiled at him and ducked her head, but not before Eli could see the blush high on her cheeks. She peeked at him from under her lashes and broke out in a huge smile as they approached the end of the aisle. When they reached their mark, Clare stopped and turned towards her dad. Randall lifted her veil, kissed her on the cheek, and then placed Clare's hand in Eli's. He patted their clasped hands before taking his seat.

"You look so beautiful," Eli whispered, just loud enough for Clare to hear.

"Not too bad yourself, handsome," Clare whispered back.

They opted for a shorter ceremony with vows that they wrote themselves. Clare tried her hardest not to cry, but a few tears slipped out while she was reciting hers and Eli found himself more choked up than he expected while reading his. Their first kiss as husband and wife was bolder than anyone was anticipating. Eli grinned and Clare laughed when they heard Adam let out a low whistle. Eli slipped his fingers between Clare's, lifted their joined hands to his lips, and kissed the back of her hand as they turned to face their friends and family. As they walked down the aisle, their guests blew bubbles, clapped, and cheered.

Clare, Eli, and the wedding party headed off to take pictures by the pond while their guests drove to the reception hall for cocktail hour. The evening was full of good food, lots of dancing, and great company.

"Today was everything I hoped it would be," Clare confessed to Eli once the reception was finished. "Thank you for making me the happiest woman in the world today."

"And thank you for making me the happiest man."

* * *

**Simple**

Adam enters the library, looks around for her, and spots her at a table at the back of the room. He takes a deep breath and starts walking towards her. When he finally reaches the table, he drops into the chair next to her and blurts out, "Will you be my girlfriend?" so quickly that it doesn't sound like a sentence. It sounds like one giant word.

"I'm sorry," Maya puts her pen down and turns towards Adam. "I didn't get any of that. Try again? Slower this time?"

"I said, will you be my girlfriend?" Adam finishes with a wince. He knows what will happen next. Just like every other girl he's liked since coming to Degrassi; she's going to reject him. She's going to say that she doesn't like him that way and they'll never talk again.

She stares at him for what feels like an eternity and Adam can feel his face burning red.

"This was a mistake," he mutters and quickly stands up.

"Adam, no wait," Maya grabs his wrist and tugs him down into the chair. "Where are you going?"

"This was a mistake," he repeats, this time loud and clear enough for her to understand.

"Why?"

"Everyone always says no and you're obviously no exception. I was trying to spare myself, but fine, tell me. Say that you're not interested. That you like me but you don't like me like that, that I confused you, or whatever it is you're thinking."

"Adam," Maya laughs. "You're an idiot."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You're an idiot. I didn't answer you right away because, yeah, you confused me. I thought I _already_ _was_ your girlfriend."

"What?"

"Adam, we've gone out for the last three weekends. You call me every night. We eat lunch together. I thought I already was your girlfriend. Simple as that."

"Really?"

"Really, stupid. I like you a lot," she reaches down and threads her fingers between his. "Officially though, yes, I would love to be your girlfriend."

* * *

**Future**

"Eli, wake up," Clare says urgently, pushing on his shoulder.

"What?" His voice sounds gravelly with sleep so he clears his throat and tries again; lifting his head off the pillow he sees that it's well past two in the morning. "What's wrong?"

"I think my water broke."

That gets Eli moving. He throws back the covers and reaches across the bedside table so he can turn on the lamp. The room is immediately too bright and Eli squints to give his eyes a chance to adjust.

"Oh. Gross," Clare replies after seeing that yes, her water has broken.

"Alright," Eli swings his feet out of bed, stands, and starts walking around the bed to help Clare. "You change or do," he waves his hand around. "Whatever it is you need to do and I'll get everything ready to go. Yell if you need me," he finishes once Clare is on her feet and headed for her dresser.

Fifteen minutes later, they're in the car and headed for the hospital. Clare calls her parents and Darcy while Eli calls Bullfrog and Cece and they all say that they're on their way as well. Eli hesitates briefly before dialing Adam's number. He picks up on the third ring, groggy and a little bit grumpy, but instantly cheers up when he finds out what's happening. Adam promises to come in once the sun is up and the baby is closer to being born. He also says that he'll call Jake and Katie. Clare calls Alli and she agrees to the same thing. When they get to the hospital, they check in, get a room, and the waiting game begins.

After eleven long (and painful) hours, their screaming, red faced baby finally enters the world.

"Congratulations! It's a girl!" The delivery room erupts in cheers and the baby girl is placed on Clare's chest so she can be dried off. Eli cuts the cord and the baby is wrapped up in a blanket and taken to be cleaned and have her health checked.

Later, when Clare and Eli are back in their room and their daughter is cradled in Clare's arms, people are allowed to enter and visit. First, Clare's immediate family comes in and they ask for the baby's name right away. Clare proudly says that they've decided to call her Charlotte. Her parents snap pictures and everyone takes turns holding the baby. After they shuffle out, Eli's family enters. Eli tells them the baby's name and they hold her and take pictures as well. Adam, Maya, Alli, Jake, and Katie are the last ones in. The five of them can't believe that Eli and Clare are finally parents.

"I can't believe we're finally parents either," Clare admits once everyone has left, allowing Clare and Eli to get to know their daughter alone.

"I love you so much," Eli presses a kiss to Clare's forehead and then does the same to the sleeping baby in his arms.

"Forever and always."


End file.
